Republic Arms Ltd is the exclusive official dealer of Kalashnikov Group in New Zealand and offers firearms for hunting and sport, based on the legendary Kalashnikov assault rifle. We offer sales direct to the public at very competitive prices. Republic Arms Ltd also provides support and service/maintenance for Kalashnikov Group products.

Saiga-12, ver.061

Cartridge12/70, 12/76

Barrel Length 483mm

Magazine capacity5

$ 1 050

Saiga 12 semi-automatic shotgun is intended for hunting, recreation shooting and self-defence. Saiga series is based on the legendary Kalashnikov AK assault rifle. This design utilizes a proven gas piston system and two-lug rotary bolt, similar to Kalashnikov AK. Saiga shotguns have the same ultimate reliability, simplicity of design and operation, which made the AK-series the most known firearm in history.

Saiga 12 has proven itself to be the world's best weapon for 3 Gun and IPSC shotgun competition. On 2015 IPSC Shotgun world championship all the top shooters in Open division used different variations of Saiga 12 shotgun.

The barrel, chamber and gas piston are chrome-lined to resist corrosion and extend the life of the shotgun. It also makes cleaning easier. The barrel features exterior threading to accept external chokes.

Receivers are made of stamped steel, furniture is made of heat and shock resistant polymer. Manual safety is identical to Kalashnikov AK, but it has only two positions - safe and semi-auto fire.

Optical and red-dot sights can be installed using special side mounts or Picatinny adapters, which can be attached to the side rail on the left side of the receiver.

Specifications & Features

Used cartridge - 12/70, 12/76

Barrel Length – 483 mm

Overall Length – 1135 mm

Magazine capacity – 5 rounds

Weight – 3.8 kg

Includes one polymer 5 rounds magazine

Additional Information

Traditional pump-action and semi-automatic tactical shotguns share one serious shortcoming: They are slow to reload. Although they possess formidable short-range terminal performance, they hold a limited number of rounds. When those rounds are gone, the magazine takes a considerable amount of time to replenish. This is due to their feeding from a tube magazine.

Magazine capacity is, of course, limited by tube length. Rounds need to be loaded one at a time, and under stress this can be agonizingly slow. In reality, loading a traditional shotgun is no faster than loading a French Mle. 1886 Lebel, and that was obsolete before World War I. Luckily, a tube full of 00 buck is all that’s required in most life-threatening situations. However, if you’ve ever longed for a shotgun that was a bit more modern, there is one to consider. It’s the Saiga-12, and it’s a 12-gauge shotgun variation of the famous AK-47. The ruggedness and dependability of the action together with the fast reload time will put you in front of any action.

Saiga, which means Steppe antelope, is a line of sporting firearms produced by Kalashnikov Concern in Izhevsk, Russia.

Kalashnikov Concern is also a major producer of Russian small arms and the home of both the AK47 and the SVD. Izhevsk is also the adopted home of Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov. The Saiga-12 is a semi-automatic, 12-gauge incarnation of Mikhail Kalashnikov’s legendary design. Better still, like the AK-47, the Saiga-12 feeds from detachable box magazines. Think about it. A semi-automatic, magazine-fed, 12-gauge AK. Some interesting possibilities for a fighting shotgun come to mind.

The man behind transforming the Kalashnikov into a shotgun was not Mikhail Kalashnikov, but another famous Russian designer, Gennady Nikolayevich Nikonov. Unlike Kalashnikov, Nikonov was actually born in Izhevsk, which is about 1,500 kilometers east of Moscow. Both his father and mother were employed by Izhmash, so it ran in his blood.

Although at first glance the Saiga-12 appears very similar to a standard AK, it took a great deal of work to shoehorn a 12-gauge shotshell into the action. The heart of the piece remains a stamped sheetmetal receiver. However, it has a beefier trunnion. The most significant change in the Saiga is the gas system, which has settings to allow both low brass 2¾-inch shells and three-inch Magnums to be used with equal reliability. The gas piston on the bolt carrier has also been noticeably shortened. In addition, part of it has been machined away to allow shell clearance during ejection. The bolt has also been changed with the addition of a larger face. As expected, the dust cover needed to be opened up to allow ejection of the big hulls. In conjunction with this, a simple sheetmetal shutter has been added to the recoil-spring assembly. This closes the rear of the ejection port when the bolt is forward in battery.

Probably the greatest challenge facing the Russian designers was creating a reliable magazine. Reliable magazines for rimmed cartridges are notoriously difficult to design. Add the complication of feeding a flatnose shell and things become even more troublesome. Nikonov’s team solved the feeding problem by having shells go straight into the chamber. Magazine bodies are produced from a glass-fiber-reinforced polymer. Tough and sturdy with a metal reinforcement in the feed lips, the magazines fieldstrip easily for maintenance. Standard capacity is five rounds, although the Russians also produce an eight-rounder.

Although the Russians do build tactical versions of the Saiga-12 with a pistol grip and side-folding stock, they are not legal to import, so Saiga-12s are imported as sporting guns. They have a sporting-type butt with no separate pistol grip, and the trigger mechanism is moved farther to the rear of the receiver. The butt and foreend are made from a tough black polymer and fitted with narrow, 7/8-inch European-pattern sling swivels. Barrel lengths commonly seen are 19, 22 and 24 inches. Most of these have a fixed choke, usually full, although improved cylinder has also been offered. Some models were also available with external screw-on chokes. Both fixed and adjustable sights have been presented. A scope rail is fitted to the left side of the receiver. This allows a shooter to slide on a red dot sight or low-power scope when shooting slugs.

Being that it’s an AK-based design, it is not too difficult to convert a Saiga-12 into something more socially oriented.

Upgrade variants

Made for Saiga 12, Chaos Extended Quad Rail is manufactured to highest standards in the industry. Rock solid with the top rail extending at 13" in length. The Extended Rail also includes drilled/tapped holes for installation of Chaos H&K Style Sights (sold seperately). MIL-STD-1913 rails are made from aircraft grade 6061 Aluminum Alloy.

Tactical set for popular Saiga series of rifles and shotguns. Constructed of reinforced composite, the system includes a 6 position Adjustable Stock Assembly, a SAW style Pistol Grip, Rubber Buttpad, versatile Handguard with Picatinny rails and all necessary mounting hardware. Designed for easily installation, the end user simply removes the standard buttstock assembly/handguard and replaces it with tactical system. Once installed, the set will allow you to experience the full potential of the SAIGA platform through increased ergonomics and weapon control.
Made by TAPCO